Electrical faults remain the source of injury and destruction. Typical electrical faults include ground faults and arc faults.
Ground faults usually result from a low (or lower) current path between the electrical source and ground. Arc faults, on the other hand, result from parallel arcing (line to neutral); series arcing, caused by a loose, broken or otherwise high resistant segment in a single line; or ground arcing from a line or neutral to ground. Arc faults are typically characterized by the presence of ionization of air and other gases, and may result in considerable currents, and release of energy.
As such, arc faults can easily result in property and personnel damage, resulting from heat, and such faults need to be contained quickly. To this end, residential arc fault circuit interrupters (AFCIs) are often used in homes. In industrial multi-phase settings, arc fault protectors often create a low impedance path upstream of the load to decrease the energy incident on the load. Creating such a low impedance path, however, often results in damage to the source and to the transmission lines, and may also place electrical and mechanical stress on the remainder of the multi-phase system.
Accordingly, there remains a need for an improved arc fault protection system or circuit.